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Classes to aid in becoming certified

Is anyone familiar with classes in the Southern California area that can aid in becoming certified? I am unable to make it to the conventions due to family and day job requirements so I'm hoping to find a course or class or something that I can take to help me in the process. I can read all I want, but I need to have an instructor or mentor to help me with the finer points of the art. I tried doing search in this forum for "classes" but that didn't result in any answers.

I struggle with the whole should I become certified or not. There have been study or focus groups in the past. If you wanted to start one, I'd join in. I think they did it where they read the book and once a week got together and talked about it via online chat room or phone.

My problem is that I'm not near the quality of my shots to get certified. What I was hoping was to get an idea of classes in the Southern California area that I can take to improve my technical ability. The workshops via the PPA site are in San Francisco, the Super Mondays have been canceled in my area, so I'm trying to find classes I can take.

In our area sometimes local guilds will have a study group to prepare for the written exam. These usually meet once a month for six or seven months. I don't know of any classes like that to improve your photography. I know that at least one of our local guilds has a mentor program which is one on one

Attend workshops not just sponsored by PPA but by other photographers. Find a photographer in your area who's work you like and see if they'd like to have a free PA. If you don't have the technical know how, that might be the perfect reason to start a study group as learning the technical side is imho the hardest part. Once you have an understanding of light and how to read it via your camera, everything else will fall into place.

But agian, that's just my opinion. Also, I think either Stand or Derek is in Cali? the east meets west guys. But do jaw dropping work. Pester them, but don't tell them I said to do so. Errrrr wait, I have a sneaking suspicion they may find out.......

I'm actually thinking of joining PortraNET since I'm looking to get into portraiture. I've read some very good reviews on their site and the images are phenomenal. I figure by doing so I can build up a portfolio of images that I can use for that part of the certification.

Correct, the images from certification have to be from actual clients. Here's the text:

Twent (20) photographic accomplishments are required. They must be from twenty different job assignments completed within the last 24 months. No two assignments entered may be of the same subject. Self-Assignment images are not considered a job assignment and will be rejected"

So... there's that. I've got a few things to wrap up this morning but Ariston I'll address your main question in a bit

I thought the images used in the certification had to be from paying clients?

And you read good reviews on their site? do you think they'd list any bad ones? lol.

Maybe not bad ones, but definitely skeptical ones. There are several "too good to be true" initial posts and then a month later followed up by "this place rocks" kind of posts. I haven't read anything negative about that site anywhere on the Internet yet...

Betsy, thank you for clearing that up. With what you said in mind, the goal will be to build a portfolio of good portrait images which can be used to gain paying clients.